Machine for removing stones from cherries or other single-stoned fruit.



Patented July |5,- 1-902.

, w. P. mnms, momma FOR nemoyms smuasrnom CHERRIES on OTHERSINGLE-$170859 FRUIT.

(Appliution filed 1%. 24, 1902. V

- 4 Sh'aqts-Sheet I.

(No Iudel.)

Ina/612 16 Witness r- No. 704,876. I "Patented My 15; I902.

. w. P. HARRIS. I IAOI-IINE FOR REMOVING STONES FROM CHERRIES OR OTHERSINGLE STORED PRINT.

7 (Applicatinn fllqd my 24, 1902. m1 Model.) 4 Sheets-Shet 2.

. Witnesses I. verLZor Patented luIy l5, I902;

W. F. HARRIS. MACHINE FOR REMOVING STONES FROM CHERRIES OR OTHER SINGI ESTONED FBIJIT.

. (Application filed Feb. 24, 1902.)

(No lllodei.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3,

1 E II III II mm July I5, 1902.

. w. P. HARRIS. IAOHINE FOR REMOVING STONES FROM CHERRIES OR OTHERSINGLE STONED FRUIT.

(Application Med Feb. 25. 1902.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

PATENT. QEFICE- WILLIAM PERCY HARRIS, or LoNDoN,nNeLAND, AssIeNoaTo THEFRUIT STONING AND PRESERVING SYNDICATE, LIMITED; or LONDON, ENGLAND.

MACHlNE FOR REn'ovme STONES FROM CHERRIES OR OTHER 's meir-stortornuu.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters ain mo. 704,876, dated July 15,1902.

Lpplieationifiled February 24; 12992. Serial No. 95,280. (No model.)

To coil whom, it rncty concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM PERcY HAR- RIs, a subject of the King of;Great Britain,

residing-at London, England, have invented; new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Removing the Stones from Oherrieslor v otherSingle-Stoned Fruit, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in the improve-f ments hereinafter described inmachines for removing the stones from cherries and other single-stonedfruit, the main object of the said improvements being to provide forextraction of the stone through an aperture in one side of and extendingonlypartially into the fruit.

each of which extractors pierces and enters one of the fruit and engageswith and withdraws the stone, means (hereinafter termed. thefruit-retainer) for holding the fruit while the extractors are retiringtherefrom during withdrawal of the stones by them,

means (hereinafter termed the extractorclearer) for disengaging thewithdrawn stones from the extractors, means (hereinafter termed thestone-discharger for dis charging the withdrawn stones from the ma chineafter they have been disengaged from the extractors. Such a machine isillustrated in the accordpanying drawings. Figure 1 is a side elevation,Fig.2 an end elevation, and Fig. 8 a plan view, of the entire machine.Fig. 4 representsasectionof the portion ofthe machine on the right handof the line A, Fig. 2. Fig. 5"represents transverse'section of thestone-extractor on the line B, Fig. 4, lookingin-the direction of- I g gg g "d each' rotation of 1 the driving-shaft l6 partial the arrow inthat figure; afidFigI-G is'an on view of the acting part of the saidextractor.

Fig. 7 represents a fragment of one part of l'themachine, the saidfigure illustrating a faceview of the means for holding the fruit :whilethe extractors are withdrawing the stones. The" said Figs. 4, 5, 6, and7 are drawn to a larger scale than the other figures.

drawings the parts thereof are referred to by T the numerals markedthereon, the same nuinall the figures. I

1 islthe hopper, supported by rods 2 2, fixed in the base '3 of themachine and furnished with bars' 4 at its outlet part for the purposehereinafter explained.

The carrier consists of a number of members 5 '5, each having formed init three fruitreceptaeles 6 6, the several members being linked togetherin the form of an endless chain, which is supported by sprocket-wheels 78, the wheel .7 being secured to a shaft 9, working in bearings carriedby standards 10 ing se'cured to a shaft 11, mounted in uprights formedon a block 12, carried by and freeto slide on pins 13 13, projectingfrom a standard 14, screwed to the base 8, which block 12 is retained inthe position necessary for keeping the carrier-chain 5 5 sufficiently intension by means of a screw 15, passing freely through the hole in thestandard 14, the threadof which screw is engaged with a screwed hole inthe said block 12- and the face of the said standard 14. For the purposeof successively bringing each of the members of the said chain to andholding it stationary at the acting-point that is, the part of themachine where the stoning operation takes place+the shaft 9 and the maindriving shaft 16,]carrying fast and loose pulleys 17 18, are gearedtogether by means of a peg-wheel 19and'a worm 20, the thread of which isshaped as best illustrated in Fig. 3, by reference to which figure itwill be seen that one half of each turn of the said'nformis heli'calorinclined to the axis of the shaft 16 and the other half at right anglesto the said axis, the result being that during one half of rotation iscommunicated to the sprocketwheel 7, and during the other half of eachro- In the following description of the saidv 'merals being used toindicate the same parts 10, formed on the base 3, and the wheel 8 beheadof which screw bears against the outer too tation of the driving-shaftthe said sprocketwheel is held stationary.

21 is a slotted standard secured to the base 3 and carryinga rod 22, onwhich is mounted a slide 23, and having projecting Wings 24 24, formingguides between which the said slide 23 is capable of verticalreciprocatorymotion on the said rod. The stone-extractors (which arehereinafter described and-of which there are three) are mounted in thesaid slide, as plainly illustrated in Fig. 4, and to the said slidereciprocatory motion is communicated as required from the driving-shaft16 through the medium of gears 25 26, a crank-plate 27, and aconnecting-rod 28. I

The construction of the stone-extractors will be best understood byreference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6, in which figures an extractor suitableforoperating on large cherries is shown of the full size. Each of thesaid extractors comprises two portions, the one for piercing the fruitand engaging and withdrawing the stone and the other for cutting openthe pierced fruit sufficiently to admit of free exit of the stone. Thepiercing and stone-withdrawing portion consists of a numberof pointedspring-tongues 29 29, extending longitudinally from aninternally-screw-threaded tube 30 and having projections 31 31 formed ontheir inner faces near their pointed ends for engaging with thefruit-stone and holding it between them during its withdrawal. The fruitcutting and opening portion consists of a rod 32, of steel or othersuitable material, having angular ribs, with radial cutting edges 33formed at its acting end. The said two port ions of the extractor aresecured together by engaging the screw-thread within the tube 30 of thepiercing portion with an external screw-thread formed at such a point onthe cylindrical part of the cutting portion that when the two areengaged together the acting end of the piercing portion will projectbeyond that of the cutting portion a sufficient distance to insureaction of both portions on the fruit, as required, which distance is ofcourse dependent on the size and shape of the fruit to be stoned. InFig. 4 the acting ends or extremities of the said two portions are shownat a distance apart suitable in the case of cherries about one inch indiameter.

The fruit-retainer or means fol-holding the fruit while the extractorsare withdrawing the stones therefrom consists of a piece of sheetindia-rubber 34, (best shown in Fig. 4,) having star-shaped apertures 3535 formed in it for the stone-extractors to pass through and extendedbetween and secured to arms 36 36, constituting portions of a bracketwhich is affixed to the standard 2l by screws passing through the part37, from which the said arms project.

The extractor-clearer or means for disengaging the withdrawn stones fromthe stoneextractors consists of a plate 38, constituting another portionof the said bracket, which plate has formed in it apertures similar inshape to and coincident with the apertures 35 of the part 34.

The stone-discharger or mea us for discharging the withdrawn stones fromthe machine after they have beendisengaged from the extractors consistsof slips of sheet india-rubber 39 39, secured to arms 40 40, projectingfrom the face of a rotatory disk 41, mounted on a stud 42, carried by abar 43, screwed to the wings 24 24 of the standard 21, which disk isgeared to the shaft 9 by means of a pitch-chain 44, engaged withchain-wheels 46.-

The action of the machine is as follows: A quantity of the fruit to bestonedsay cherries-having been placed in the hopper 1 and motion havingbeen communicated to the driving-shaft 16 in the direction indicated bythe arrow marked thereon in Fig. 2 through the medium of the fast pulley17, the carrier is by the action of the worm 2O advanced in' thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 1 until that one of the members 5 5 ofthe carrier which is nearest the highest part of the wheel 7 is at theacting-point-that is, in such a position relativelyto the extractorsthat their centers are in line with the centers of the fruitreceptaclesof that member. Meanwhile, through the medium of the gearing connectingthe. driving-shaft with the slide-block 23, the stone-extractors carriedby the said block have descended until their acting ends have enteredthe apertures in the fruit-retainer 34 and through the medium of theconnections between the shaft'9 and the stone-discharger that one of theblades of the latter whichv in Fig. 2 is shown in the lowermost positionwill have been carried away from the path of motion of thestone-extractors. After this during one-half rotation of thedriving-shaft the carrier is held stationary in consequence of thatportion of the worm 20 which is at right angles to its axis beingin gearwith the peg-wheel19; but the stone-extractors continue descending untiltheir acting ends enter the fruit in the fruit-receptacles at theacting-point and become engaged with the stones, after which theextractors rise until they are clear of the fruit, which is preventedfrom being carried up with them by hearing against the retainer 34.These motions of the extractors produce removal of the stones from thefruit in those receptacles of the carrier which are at the acting-point,the descent of each of the extractors causing its spring-tongues 29 29to pierce and enter one of the fruit and to embrace the stone, the saidtongues being sprung outward by contact of their projections 31 31 withthe stone while passing it and returning to their normal position afterthe said projections have passed the stone, which is then held be-' mitof freeexit of the stone on the ascent of the extractor. After theextractors have passedthe retainer 34 the helical portion of the worm 20again comes into action, causing motion of the carrier, by which themember containing fruit which has been stoned by the action of theextractors is carried away from the acting-point, and the next memberconveying unstoned fruit from the hopper is advanced toward that pointwhile the extractors continue ascending, the stones being disengagedfrom them by the points around the apertures of the clearer 38 duringthe retiring motion of the extractors through it, and the said stonesbeing by the action of the discharger removed from the surface of theretainer 34, on which they fall when cleared from the extractors. Thusat each rotation of the driving-shaft the stones are automaticallyremoved from three of the fruit with which the hopper has been charged,and the stones removed are automatically discharged from the machine.

The bars 4 41 1]. the hopper serve to prevent the fruit passing from itfrom lodging on the carrier between thereceptacles 6 6.

Where the machine is to be used for stoning large fruit, such as plums,they should be placed by hand in the receptacles of the carrier, thehopper being dispensed with.

What I claim as my invention of improvements in machines for removingthe stones from cherries and other single-stoned fruit, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a reciprocatory stone-extractor for entering andwithdrawing the stone from the fruit and an extractorclearer for freeingthe withdrawn stone from the extractor.

2. The combination of a reciprocatory stone-extractor for withdrawingthe stone and a fruit-retainer for the fruit to bear against duringwithdrawal of the stone therefrom and an extractor-clearer for freeingthe withdrawn stone from the extractor.

3. The combination of a reciprocatory stone-extractor for withdrawingthe stone and a fruit-retainer for the fruit to bear againstduringwithdrawal of the stone therefrom and an extractor-clearer forfreeing the with drawn stone from the extractor and a rotarystone-discharger for removing the freed stone from the machine.

4. A reciprocatory stone extractor provided with sharp'edges partiallyfor entering and cutting open the skin and pulp of the fruit at one sideof the stone and partialiy for engaging with and withdrawing the stonethrough the opening cut.

5. A reciprocatory stone extractor comprising spring-tongues forpiercing the fruit :and embracing the stone therein and projections onthe said tongues for retaining the stone in the embrace of theextractor.

6. A reciprocatory stone-extractor comprising spring-tongnes forpiercing the fruit and embracing the stone therein and projections onthe said tongues for retaining the stone in the embrace of the extractorand blades for cutting open the skin and pulp of the fruit between thespring-tongues and the stone to permit of exit of the stone with theextractor on withdrawal of the latter from the fruit.

'7. An extractor-clearer for freeing Withdrawn stones carried by areciprocating stoneextractor such clearer consisting of a plate situatedin the path of motion of the stoneextractor.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of areciprocatory stone-extractor for partially entering and withdrawing thestone from the fruit, a conveyor for feeding the fruit to the extractor,a pair of sprocket-wheels for supporting the conveyer, said wheels ofdifferent diameters, a shaft for operating the sprocket-wheel of largerdiameter, a peg-wheel for operating saidshaft, means engaging with thesaid peg-wheel for 'intermittentlyoperating it, means for operareciprocatory stone-extractor comprising spring-tongues for piercing thefruit and embracing the stone therein and projections on the saidtongues for retaining the stone in the embrace of the extractor, anextractorclearer for freeing the withdrawn stones from theextractor,-and a rotary stone-discharger for removing the freed stone.

' 11. A reciprocatory stone-extractor comprising spring-tongues forpiercing the fruit and embracing the stone therein and projections onthe said tongues for retaining the stone in the embrace of the extractorand blades for cutting open the skin and pulp of the fruit between thespring-tongues and the stone to permit of exit of the stone with the ITOextractor on withdrawal ofthe latter from r the fruit, and anextractor-clearer for freeing the withdrawn stones from the extractor.

12. A reciprocatorystone-extractor comprising spring-tongues forpiercing the fruit I a standard, a rod carried thereby, a slide mountedupon the rod, guides for the said slide, means for imparting a verticalreciprocatory motion to said slide, a stone-extractor carried by thesaid slide and adapted to partially enter and withdraw the stone fromthe fruit, means for feeding the fruit to be stoned to the saidextractor, and an extractor-clearer for freeing the withdrawn stone fromthe extractor.

14. In a machine of the character described, a standard, a rod carriedthereby, a slide mounted upon the rod, guides for the said slide, meansfor imparting a vertical reciprocatory motion to said slide, astone-extractor WILLIAM PERCY HARRIS.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM THOMAS WHITEMAN, PERCY CHARLES RUsHEN.

